Change of Heart
by KathrenCrena
Summary: It's amazing what can happen it a single night. Doing a single kindness to someone can be rewarding. Join the adventure with Kathren and experience a lifetime of fun, fear, sadness, and love.
1. Chapter 1

*Note: _Italics _are the girl's thoughts.*

It was a dark and stormy night. The rain was pounding on the window and thunder shock the small house. I was sitting in my kitchen reading a book and drinking hot tea. I had a candle lit and the smell of vanilla was overwhelming. I paused in reading when the candle started violently flickering. I stared at it as the shadows danced around me. Then just as suddenly as it started it calmed. I sighed and closed my book.

"I wish the power would come back on," I mumbled. I stood up and stretched. _Well at least I have this candle, _I thought.

At that exact moment a gush of wind came through and forced the window open. The candle went out and darkness filled the cozy little house.

"Great." I stood still for a minute so my eyes could adjust. "Window, close the window." I stumbled over to the open the window. As I reached out to shut the window lightning flashed and I saw a face in front of me. I instantly jumped back with a squeak.

"What the hell?" I cautiously peered out the window. Without a second thought I grabbed the window and locked it.

"Okay, that was freaky." I turned around and glanced around. The house was eerie when it was dark. The rain and thunder didn't help the case either. I started walking to the kitchen counter where I left extra matches. As I fumbled around for them my hand hit something sharp. "Ow!" I pulled my hand back and felt something warm run down my palm. "Wonderful," I walked over to the sink and turned on the water. I let the water run over my injured hand. _If only I could find those dang matches then I could see how bad the cut is…. what did I even cut my hand on anyway. _I glanced behind me, but of course saw nothing but shapes. I grabbed what I assumed to be a towel and put it on my hand.

"Where the crap did I put those matches?" I walked back over to the counter were I thought I put them when I kicked something. I looked down and squinted. "Are those…?" I bent down and picked up the box. "Oh good," I opened the box and produced the match. Before I could strike it I heard a noise from outside.

**SCRATCH! SCRATCH!**

"Um…"I dropped the towel and quickly lit a match. The flame made the shadows dance. I looked in awe as I saw the shapes dance. _Stupid, light the candle! _ I shook my head and lit the candle. As my eyes adjusted I looked down at my hand. It was bleeding pretty badly. I closed my eyes and silently cursed. "Well this sucks," I said as I went to a drawer and pulled out a first aid kit. I pulled out a bandage and put it on. "It will have to do for now. I hope it doesn't get worse." I looked back at the counter to see what could have cut me.

Nothing was there. I turned my head side to side, investigating the counter. "This doesn't make sense. I had to cut my hand on something, hands don't just start randomly bleeding." I walked to the other side of the counter when I noticed a knife on the ground. "Ah, silly me. I must have left it on the counter after making dinner." I bent down and picked up the knife. "Yep there is definitely blood on this." I tossed the knife into the sink.

**KNOCK! KNOCK! **A knock at the door startled me. "Who the crap is out in this weather? They must be crazy!" I walked to the front door.

"Hello!?" I called out, "Who's there?" …No answer….. "Stupid kids…"

**KNOCK! KNOCK! **Another round of knocks came from the door.

I hesitated before I looked out through the peep-hole.

I saw a man standing there. He was tall and slim. He had dark hair and a small black goatee. He wore a white fur hat with spots along the rim. He looked menacing but also a little cold. So of course being the nice, stupid person I was, I unlocked the door and opened it up.

"Can I help you?" I asked vigorously. Realizing I said that so forcefully I immediately apologized. "Oh, sorry I didn't mean to sound cruel." I paused eyeing the man. "Would you like to come in? You look pretty soaked. Don't want to be catching colds now." I gestured into my home.

"…." Silence is what the man gave me back. He walked in without taking his eyes off of me.

"Um, how 'bout I get you a towel?"

No response. I shut the door and walked briskly to the bathroom. I came back to the man with the towel in hand and gave it to him. He took it without saying a word, but his eyes never left me.

"So what's your name?" I asked as he dried himself off. I noticed he had a tattoo on each of his fingers. **DEAT****H**, it spelt, _wonderful I let a freak into my home._

"Law." The man said.

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Law."

"Oh, well, hello Law. I am Kathren." _What type of name is that? _"What are you doing out in the storm?" I asked.

"Nothing in particular."

"I see." _He's kind of awkward._ "Well I really don't want you to stay if you won't tell me why you are here."

He paused from drying himself off and looked at me. "I don't want to be a bother but I need to stay until the storm passes. There will be no possible way for me to make it through that mess."

I tilted my head at this explanation, "I suppose you are right, It is bad out." I sighed," I guess you can stay tell the morning."

"Thank you."

"ya…um…you can sleep on the couch. I got some extra blankets around here some place." I walked toward a closet and pulled out some old blankets. "Well here you go." I handed him the blankets.

_Something about him seems familiar…I wonder if we meet somewhere before?_ Before I could study him any further he took the blankets and walked to the couch. He laid down and instantly fell asleep.

"Okay… goodnight." I shook my head and got the candle. I carried the candle to my room and shut and locked the door. "Better safe then sorry." I put the candle down next to my bed and crawled in. The last thing I saw was the shadows dancing around in my room before I fell into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up with smoke filling my lungs and heat attacking my face. Fire raged in front of the door and along the side of my bed. The flames were high and an orangish color. The heat was deadly and I could barley breath. I got out of bed and hurried over to the window. "Cough! Cough! Window!" I choked out. I was trying to open the window with the flames to my back. "Damn, come on!" The window was jammed. I looked around in a panic. _Maybe there is something I can smash the glass with? _I saw out of the corner of my eye a rock on my dresser. I remember I put it there to use as a paperweight. _Yes! Perfect! _As I was reaching out for the rock the flames licked me. "OUCH!" I pulled my hand back and cradled it against me. "I don't have time for this!" I took a deep breathe and quickly grabbed the rock. I hissed as I pulled my hand back, for the flame had burned me, badly. I turned back to the window and raised the rock above my head. "Here I go!" I smashed the rock against the glass and it instantly shattered.

The pieces of glass went everywhere and I ended up stepping on them. "Ah!" Pain shot through me and tears went to my eyes. My vision started to blur and I couldn't breath anymore. _This is it, I'm going to die. _I felt myself start to fall when I felt a hand catch me.

"No you don't" A voice said. I was brought out through the window and had clean air hit my face.

I started coughing, "Cough, Cough, Cough!"

"Good you are still breathing." The person was carrying me princess style. I squinted my eyes at the person trying to figure out who it was. That's when I remembered the man in my house.

"you," I wheezed.

"Don't talk you will only waste your energy and my time."

"But-"

"Didn't I just tell you not to talk? So shut up before I force you to be quite." I blinked at him confused. _He saved me but he is still a jerk._ "The sun is starting to rise." He looked around,"Okay, I'm going to put you down now." He set me down on the ground. I looked around trying to make sense of my surroundings.

We were on top of a hill not that far from my home. I could see the flames flickering and a huge cloud of smoke rising above it. I found myself with my mouth a gap and tears running down my face.

"What the hell did you do to set the fire?" Law asked.

I stared blankly at him trying to figure out what he meant. _What does he mean? I didn't set the fire! He must ha-…_ I gasped. "Oh no." I croaked. I looked down at my burning house,"The candle….I didn't blow out the candle."

"Stupid girl."

"I must have smacked it down on the ground before I woke up." I closed my eyes tight and curled up in a ball. "I am so stupid, I could I forget something like that?" I couldn't hold my pain in any longer, I started sobbing.

"Hey, accidents happen, so stop crying." He looked me up and down. "Let me take a look at your injuries." He reached toward the hand I burned.

"Ow!" I pulled my hand back.

"Don't fight me! Give me your hand!" He grabbed my arm and took a look at my hand. "You burned it pretty badly. I have cream for bad burns but it's down at my ship." He then proceeded to my feet where I had stepped on glass."Your feet are another story, I'm going to have to pull out all the glass and probably stitch up some of the cuts." He then went to the hand I cut last night and took the bandage off. The cut was really deep so it was still bleeding but it wasn't bleeding heavily anymore. "You will need stitches for this too, I'm surprised you are still conscious. Most people would be passed out after all these injuries."

"Well I guess I am not most people." I said with a chuckle. He looked at me with a surprised expression.

"I suppose you aren't. Well then I guess I will be carrying you since you can't walk." He looked down at my feet and I did the same.

"Ya, I would appreciate that." He sighed and picked me up.

"Wrap your arms around my neck so you don't end up falling." I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned my head against his chest. He was warm and smelled really good. He smelled like the ocean and with my head against his chest I could hear the pounding of his heart. He started walking toward the village.

"You said you had a ship?" He glanced down at me with a look of annoyance.

"Yes, I do. I am the captain of the Heart Pirates."

"You're a pirate?"

"Yes, do you have a problem with that?"

"No, It doesn't really matter to me."

We walked in silence for the rest of the journey.

When we arrived at the village instead of going through it we went around.

"Is there a reason we are walking around the village," I asked.

"Yes, I don't want them to get frightened and end up attacking me." I mused that thought over in my head._ I guess that makes sense. He is a pirate if he is seen with someone as injured as me they might blame him for it._

He was walking toward the docks. I started looking around for a ship. "Hey I don't see any ships."

He ignored me and continued walking. "We are just going to go right into the ocean."

He continued to ignore me and walked right up to the edge of the dock. I looked around again trying to figure out where his ship was. All I could see was the fishermen's boats.

"Look down," he said. I looked down and saw the top of a yellow submarine.

"Your ship is a submarine?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing."

He looked at me sternly,"What?"

"I was just expecting an actually ship."

"So you are not impressed?"

"Well, it looks kind of small." With that he produced a small smile.

"Yes, well looks can be deceiving."

"I suppose…" He set me on the dock and bent down to open the door. I couldn't help but stare at him as he did this. He was a very handsome man.

He glanced back at me,"Is something the matter?"_ Crap he caught me staring at him…_

"Um…Well I do have a burnt hand and a whole bunch of glass on my feet. So yes something is the matter, I am in a lot of pain."

"That's to be expected." He opened the hatch up. "Okay, now I am going to drop you in there."

"Wait, What?"

"Don't worry about it I will have Bepo catch you."

"Who?" He picked me up, "Wait!" and he tossed me down.


	3. Chapter 3

I think I was screaming, but I couldn't really tell. It happened in a blink of an eye. He picked me up from the dock and and threw me into the submarine. The next thing I knew was that I landed on something really soft. I had my eyes closed for awhile and I heard Law come down the ladder.

"You can open your eyes, ya know," he said.

"No I can't."

"And why not?"

"Because I am afraid to see what I have landed on."

"I told you Bepo would catch you," he said with amusement.

"What exactly is Bepo?"

"Open your eyes and you will find out."

_Ugh, he really is a jerk._ I took a deep breath and slowly opened my eyes. As my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, I saw people standing around me. One had a hat that said 'penguin' on it and the other one had a hat that was green with a red rim. I craned my neck to see what Bepo was.

"Oh….um" I glanced at Law, whom was looking at me with a smirk. "Is he a polar bear?" Bepo, the polar bear, was sleeping. "Wait a second if he was sleeping then how did you know he would catch me?"

"That's the funny thing, I didn't."

_Such cruelty! _

"That girl just fell from the ceiling!" said the guy with 'penguin' on his hat.

"This must be my lucky day!" said the one with the green and red hat.

"What? I didn't fall from the ceiling! Law tossed me from the hatch!"

"Wait.. Our captain in picking up girls now? Wow, never saw that coming," said the penguin hat guy.

"Ugh, men."

"My name is Penguin," said the guy with the penguin hat,"and this is Shachi." He pointed to guy with the green and red hat.

"Um, hi, I'm Kathren."

"Nice to me-"

"Enough of the chit-chat, I need to get you to the table for treatment." Law came over to me and picked me up. "Go get the burn cream and set up the room."

"Yes sir!" Both of the weirdos quickly walked away. Law walked after them and we turned a corner. A door stood at the end of the corridor that we now stood in. Law walked towards the door.

"So where are we going?" Realizing that my heart was pounding and I was starting to get nervous.

"I'm going to treat your injuries,"he said as we neared the door. He glanced down at me,"Of course if you don't want your injuries treated then I could take you back up to the surface."

"N-no, I would like my injuries treated." I winced as the pain got more intense in my arm and feet.

"Then shut up and don't question me. If I have to, I will throw you overboard." He said that with a blank face. _How can one be so nice looking but so mean!_ He opened the door that led to a bright white room. He carried me to a table that was in the center of the room. There was a sink along the right side of the wall, along with some counters. Penguin and Shachi were both in the room and they had aprons on. They looked really stupid, but I guess for safety medical procedures they need to wear that.

I watched Law wash his hands in the sink and put gloves on. This entire situation was freaking me out. He walked over to me with a jar filled with cream, which I assumed was the burn cream, I was correct.

"Okay I'm going to apply this to your burn. It's a special type of cream for severe burns. It should help it heal quicker than normal creams." Law applied the cream to my hand/arm area. I hissed as he put it on and tried to pull back, but he had a good grip on me. "Oh ya, it's going to sting."

"Thanks for the warning," I hissed. After putting the cream on he wrapped the burn up with bandages.

"It should be better in a couple of days," Law said. He then went to examine my feet. "I need pliers," he held out his hand as Penguin got them for him. "Okay, this is going to to hurt...a lot." He glanced up at me, "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I will ever be," I gave him a weak smile. He leaned in on my foot studying it. He then raised the pliers to my feet and grabbed hold of a piece of glass.

The pain was worst getting them pulled out then when I stepped on it. It was kind of like getting stabbed and then having the knife slowly pulled out. I don't think I said anything while he was doing this, but I was crying. When he pulled out all the glass (which seemed like an eternity) he got some type of liquid and he put it on my feet. My best guess was that it was alcohol. He then took a thread and needle and stitched it up. After he was done stitching it up he put bandages on both of my feet.

"Okay, I want to look at your other hand." He grabbed my hand and looked it over. "It's not that bad, I am going to put some things on it so it doesn't get infected." So he did just that and he put a bandage on it.

"Thank you," I said with a pained smile,"Why are you doing me such kindness?"

Law looked at me with a surprised expression on his face. "Well you helped me. This is just my way of repaying the debt." The surprise on his face went back to his scorn face. "You can leave if you wish."

"Um, I can't really walk at the moment." He looked down at my feet.

"Yes, well then stay, I don't really care. But we are setting sail in the afternoon."

"Afternoon! There's no way I can just magically get better! My feet will take time to heal!"

"Then I guess you are coming with us." He said as he threw out his gloves. He then looked at me with a smug face and said,"Welcome to the crew." He walked out of the room and left me alone with Penguin and Shachi.

I looked at the two of them standing next to me and then turned my head to the door. My mouth was open in shock. "I...Wha-...What just happened!?" Confused I looked to the two dorks standing next to me. They both had a creepy smile on their faces.

"Welcome to the crew Kathren," said Penguin

"We will do everything we can to make this comfortable for you!" Exclaimed Shachi.

"Oh God. What have I done." I put my hands to my face, I was very distressed.

My life just changed in a matter of hours. I just accidentally joined a pirate crew, all because I let Law into my home on that stormy night. Now I will have to fight just to survive everyday. But with every new day comes a new adventure and maybe even a possible romantic interest. I looked up from my hands and sighed. "Okay, I can survive this. Maybe it will even be fun." I gave a half hearted laugh as I laid down. I ended up falling asleep on the hard, cold, table.


	4. Chapter 4

I had a nightmare that night. I was kidnapped by an evil man. He tortured me and..did horrible things to me. After he was done, he killed me.

I woke with a scream. Painting I looked around in a panic. _Where am I?_ I felt my face and realized that I was crying. I sat up in the bed I was in. _Oh, ya, I am now part of Law's crew. _I felt around and figured out that I was no longer on the hard cold examination table. _Someone must have carried me here._ I shakily stood up. _Calm down it was just a dream, but it felt so real. I thought I was going to die. _I slowly walked to a dim light. I touched the handle of a door I found and felt along the wall for a light switch. I eventually found it and turned the lights on.

I was in a small room. There was a bed with nightstand by it and a dresser facing the bed. On the other side of the room there was another door. I walked over and opened the door, it was a bathroom. _Okay, good a bathroom. _I walked in and went to the sink. I splashed cold water on my face and looked up at the mirror.

I was a wreck, my hair was all tangled and my face was covered in dirt. _I'm sure I smell bad. _I went over the bathtub and started filling it with water. When it was filled I went in. The water was warm and relaxing. "Ah, just what I need after a horrible dream." I sat in the tub for a while.

My relaxing time was interrupted with a knock on the door of my bedroom.

**KNOCK! KNOCK! **"Hey Kathren! Are you awake?" It was Penguin,"Breakfast is ready!"

"Ugh," I looked down at my wound, _I should change the bandages._ "Um, I will be out in a second," I yelled out. I got out of the bath and drained the water. I then started to dry myself. After I was dry I started looking around for fresh bandages. I found some behind the mirror, the burn cream was also there. I started applying everything.

"Kathren, come on! I'm hungry!"

"So I noticed," I mumbled. I walked out of the bathroom and went to the dresser," I hope there is fresh clothes in here." I opened up the top drawer and found a shirt and pants, I put them on. I then started coming through my wet hair with my hand.

"It's been more than a second."

I sighed,"All right, I'm coming out." I opened the door that led out into the hallway.

"Wow."

"What?"

"You look hot." I looked at Penguin in surprise. "Aw, how cute your blushing!"

"Wha- Shut up! Take me to breakfast."

"What ever you say, hey do you want to go out?"

"What?"

"You know on a date?"

"No!"

"Okay, I see, not in the mood. I will ask later than."

We walked in the confusing hallways until we came to a bright red door.

"Here we are!" Penguin opened up the door,"Ladies first." He gestured for me to enter.

"Thanks." I walked into a medium sized room with a table and chairs. There was food on the table. Law, Shachi, and Bepo, were already eating.

"Look who's finally awake! Did you sleep well?" Asked Shachi.

"Um, well,"

"Who cares? Let's eat!" Bepo was gorging himself on the food.

"Don't be rude, Bepo, let the pretty lady talk." Penguin and I both sat down.

"It was very comfortable. Thank you for the hospitality."

"Of course! We will do anything for a beauty like you!" exclaimed Penguin.

From the corner of my eye I thought I saw Law glare at him, but when I turned my head to look he was looking down at his food.

"You know, when I walked by your door I thought I heard a scream. Did something happen?" Asked Penguin.

"Huh? What no," I looked down at my food and started eating.

"Hmm, don't want to talk about it… I see. Well then I guess it was nothing." Penguin started eating his food.

Once again out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw Law looking this way, but his time it looked like he was looking at me with curiosity. But of course when I looked up to see, he was looking at his plate. The rest of breakfast went with come chit-chat. It was peaceful. Everyone but Law talked. _He sure is quite. _We started getting up, I helped clean with Penguin.

After we were done cleaning we walked over to the hatch. "The submarine is on the surface, so if you want some fresh air I recommend you get it now." Penguin started climbing the ladder, he opened the hatch.

Bright light poured in and on to my face. I had to squint my eyes. While I was climbing the ladder I realized that I was walking. _Wow my injured feet sure did heal quickly. _Penguin helped me up when I got out.

"It feels nice to have the sunlight on my face," I said as I stretched.

"Ya, it sure does." Penguin walked over to the edge with a fishing pole. I looked around and spotted the others were out here. They were all off doing their own things. _What should I do? _I looked around and spotted Law. For some odd reason I started walking towards him.

"Um, hi." He was laying down with his hat covering his face.

"What do you want?" He lifted his hat up and squinted his eyes at me.

"Oh, nothing. I mean… Do you mind if I sit here?"

He gave me a cold look,"Go ahead, I don't bite."

I laughed,"Are you sure about that? You seem cold enough," I sat down.

He looked at me with surprise in his face, it then changed to a small smirk. "Oh, really? I'm a cold now?"

"Well…. You sure do like to act it."

"hmm, ha, you are very interesting. You definitely brave for speaking like that."

"You won't hurt me. You won't hurt your crew members."

He examined my face. "I guess you are right about one thing."

"Oh?"

"I won't hurt my crew."

I smiled at him, "You know, you can drop the act. You don't have to be so tense either. If I am going to be part of your crew we should be able to stand each other."

"I suppose." He put his hat back over his eyes. I leaned back next to him and stared up at the sky. _I think I could get used to this._


	5. Chapter 5

A few days later we reached land. We landed in a city called Treetops, it had huge trees in and surrounding the town. The lights were always on in the town because the trees blocked out the sun. People in the town never ventured any further then they needed too. They were afraid of the surrounding forest. When we first arrived it took my breathe away. I have lived most of my life in that tiny village so the vastness of the huge city confused me and at the same time awed me.

"We need to get food," said Shachi.

"And repairs for the submarine," Penguin added.

"Don't forget medical supplies," Continued Shachi.

They continued giving a list of items they needed, I blocked them out and talked to Law,"Do you need anything?"

He glanced at me before speaking,"I would like to get my sword sharpened."

"Well then let's go that!" I started taking the lead and stopped,"Um, where would you do that at?"

"Just follow me, unless you want to go out by yourself."

"I would get lost in this huge city! Hey, where did the other three go?" I looked around for them,"We must have lost them."

"They will be fine, I'm sure they can figure out how to get back to the ship." He started to walk a bit faster.

"Hey! Don't go to fast! I won't be able to keep up!" I ran to catch up with Law.

The town was filled with lively people. Everyone seemed to know what they were doing and were having fun doing it. There were stalls with varies goods set up and the smell of food was everywhere. Children were playing in the streets and adults were having a drink and gossiping.

"Wow, it sure is busy."

Law was walking ahead of me, but he has slowed down. "Have you never been to a city before?" he asked.

"Yes, I was born in one, but I moved out of the city and into the village when I was five. So I don't remember a whole lot."

"Why did you move away?"

I went quite and looked down at my feet, "I don't want to talk about it."

He had slowed down enough that he was walking by my side. "That's fine. I don't really care about your personal life."

I looked at him with confusion. _Then why did he ask?_ We walked through the crowded streets until we reached a blacksmiths.

"You wait here," Law said as he entered. I looked around and watched the people walk by.

"Everyone here seems to know where their going." I sat down in front of the blacksmiths shop. I looked up at what little sky there was and noticed nothing but darkness. "It looks like some dark clouds-" It started raining as soon as I said that. "Wonderful," I mumbled. I stood up and got closer to the blacksmiths shop. There was little ledge from the roof that provided some shelter.

After was seems like forever Law came out. He looked at me with a small smile on his face. "You know you could've came in, right?"

"What? You told me to wait out here!"

"Ya, but it's raining. I figured you would've came in."

I started at him with my mouth open,"Ugh, you are completely ridiculous!"

"Oh, I'm I now?" He had a smug face on, "And you are very strange. Now let's stop arguing for the time being and find a place that's dry." We both took off to find some shelter.

We found a small stable that was not being used. "I guess we will stay here." Law leaned up against the wall.

"I think the storm is getting worse." The wind had picked up and the rain was getting heavier.

"In these types of dense forest rain is common. So don't worry about it."

The storm continued on raging when Law suddenly stood up right with his hand on his sword.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Shhh." He walked over to me and put his other hand over my mouth.

"mmhh."

"I said be quite." He pulled me into the back of the stable and we hid behind some hay. That's when I heard voices.

"The storm is just going to get worse! Evacuate the citizens!" Yelled a man.

"Yes sir!" Yelled some other men. They ran past the stable, "Pull the alarm, have everyone go inland."

"Shit," Law whispered.

"What?"

"Marines and it seems that the storm is going to get worse."

Almost all of the marines walked past the place we were hiding, except for one. This man was tall and he wore a symbol of a higher ranking officer. He had an eye patch on his right eye and he had short spiked purple hair. He had no weapon that I could see of. The marine turned and walked into the stable. "Who's in here?" He yelled out,"You need to evacuate now!" The man came closer.

"Kathren, what ever happens don't move from this spot, do you understand." Law looked me directly in my eyes.

"Yes."

"Good," He stood up.

"Oh? Look what he have here." The man gave a freaky smile, "Trafalgar Law. What a pleasant surprise." The man started pulling something our from his coat.

Law had his hand on his sword and the other in the air. The man threw some shurikens at Law, but Law dodged them, they hit right above my head. More marines were gathering at the entrance. They had guns that were ready to fire. Law drew his sword and said "room," a big circle appeared around us. The marines started firing and Law-!

"MMHH!" Someone grabs me from behind covering my mouth

"Shhhh!" The person starts dragging me through a small whole that was in the back. _How the hell did we not notice that before? _The person that held me didn't let go after exciting the stable. He then dragged me through the rain. I struggle under his grip, I try to kick him but at the angle I'm at I can't get a good one in. He dragged me all the way to an area that was fenced in. It was a big building, that had the marine symbol on it. _Shit!_ He dragged me into the doors of the marines headquarters.

They gagged me and tied me up to a chair. "What should we do?" asked one of the marines.

"Wait tell the commander gets back," replied another. _The commander must be the creepy guy that with purple hair. Wait, that's the guy Law was fighting! I hope Law is alright…_

The door flew open and in came the commander with some other marines behind him. "Damn! He got away!"

"Sorry sir, we can't go after him in this weather, but we got someone that was with him. I'm assuming she is a new crew member."

"Hmm," The commander walked up to me and looked me in the eyes. "What's your name?"

"mmph!"

"Oh," he removed the thing from my mouth,"Now tell me your name."

"Kathren! My name is Kathren." I sighed from exhaustion.

"Kathren, what are you doing with a man like Law?"

_I have to think of something quick!_ "He kidnapped me!"

They all looked at me with surprise,"Did he really?" The commander spoke with an evil laugh,"Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not lying! He came to my house on a rainy night a couple days ago. I, being the stupid person I am, let him in. I felt sorry for him! He looked cold! And plus, at the time I didn't know who he was! Later in the night he set my house on fire and took me to his ship! I was to tired to fight back! He put me in an empty room with a dim light and left me. They feed me food through a small whole in the door. H-He did horrible things to me." I started to cry,"It was awful! I was so afraid! But now I am safe thanks to you guys! I just want to go home!" I was sobbing at this point.

"Hmm…untie her."

"Yes sir!" The marine untied me.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

"Ok, girl, I believe you. At least I will let this incident slide, just don't do any more stupid things, okay?"

"Yes, I promise!" Still crying they led me to a room.

"Enjoy your stay here, with this weather you can't go anywhere." The commander and the other marines left.

I closed the door and sighed,"I can't believe they fell for that…" I looked around the room, it was plan and boring, not roomy at all. I walked over to the window. "I wonder if…." I pushed on the window, it opened. "Yes!" I climbed through the window and into the rain.

I somehow made it through the fences of the headquarters. _They didn't try to stop me… or maybe they just couldn't see me._ I was running through the now empty town. _I think this is the way to the docks._ As I was heading towards the docks the wind got worse. Thats when I realized that something was terrible wrong. A huge wave was heading straight toward me. "This isn't just a storm! It's a hurricane!" I started running the opposite way, but the wave was to fast. The water fell on me like a heavy blanket.

I was being thrown about in the strong current and I knew if I didn't do something now, I was going to get sucked into the ocean. I reached my hand out trying to grab anything.

My hand touched and grabbed hold of a pole. The water retreated back to the ocean. I took a deep breath of air. "Gasp!" I started coughing,"Cough, cough!" I opened my eyes, just now noticing I had them closed. I was on top of a roof. I saw a little cover that was near the pole. I quickly went to it. I stayed there the rest of the storm. The waves splashed on me and tried to pull me in, but it failed. I somehow survived, the next thing I knew it was morning at the storm had passed. I climbed down from the roof, there was a ladder on the back of building, it was still intact. My feet touched the wet ground and I instantly started running to the docks. When I arrived at the docks I started searching for the submarine. "Where is it, Where is it?" I looked everywhere, I eventually came to the horrible realization. The ship was gone, they left me.


	6. Chapter 6

I collapsed on the ground not believing my eyes. "No…No they didn't leave me, they must have…Gotten away from the storm! Ya, that's it! They got the ship away from the storm. They will come back for me, I will wait here until they do." and so I waited. I watched as people started showing back up and cleaning up the storms mess. The ships in the harbor were sunk, houses were ripped apart, and debris was everywhere. The sun was close to setting, I was cold and hungry. I haven't left the spot I collapsed in, I've been waiting here for them. But at this point my hope was washing away. Just like the storm almost did to me. I felt my heart shatter and tears started to roll down my face. "I don't want to cry!" I said as a big sob escaped me.

But I wasn't crying for long when I heard men shouting.

"If you find that girl bring her to me!" I recognized the voice of the marine commander.

"Oh shit!" I got up with wobble legs and sprinted to the tree outline. Once I reached it I went behind one of the enormous trees. I watched the marines search around the harbor. "Why are they looking for me! Wouldn't they think me dead?" I saw one of the marines look up and look directly at me.

"Look over there! She's behind that tree!" The marine shouted and pointed at me.

"Get her! But I want her alive!" Yelled the commander. The men started running over to the tree line.

"Geez!" I turned and I ran farther into the forest. I ran and ran as fast as I could. I ran until I couldn't see my own hands in front of me. At that point I started walking very slowly, using my hands to guide me. I was breathing heavily and exhausted from the events that occurred. "Why? I just don't get it, why am I so important to them?" I sat down leaning against a tree. "I'm so tired of all this." I yawned and I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew it was morning.

"Ugh, another nightmare…" I stood up and stretched,"I hate that man…" My stomach growled,"and I am starving! I need to find something to eat." I started walking when I felt a cool breeze. "The ocean! it must be near here! Oh, I could eat fish!" I walked toward the breeze and eventually came across a beach. "Yes! I can get fish! But what about water?" I walked over to a stick lying on the ground and picked it up. "That will be a problem." I examined the stick,"It's not very sharp, maybe I could use a rock?" I looked around for a rock when I spotted something yellow out of the corner of my eye. I dropped the stick.

"Hey!" I started waving my hands in the air. The hatch to the yellow submarine opened up.

"We see you!" Yelled Shachi.

"You're alive!" Yelled Penguin.

"We are coming to shore!" Yelled Bepo. The submarine made it's way as close to the shore as it could get. The three of them jumped out and ran to me. I saw Law come out shortly.

"Kathren!" All three of them hugged me at once. "We thought we lost you forever!" They started crying.

"Why are you guys crying?" I asked.

"Because you are!" I touched my face and felt the wetness. I didn't even realize that I was crying. When I realized I was crying I started sobbing.

"Sob! I'm s-sorry, I-I don't mean to cry." They have let go of me and were all crying to, trying to wipe their faces.

"Kathren, why would you be crying?" Asked Law. He was standing in front of me.

"I thought you left me!" I covered my face with my hands and sobbed into my hands.

Law grasped my shoulders,"Kathren, I will never leave a crew member behind until I am certain they are dead. We had no proof that you were dead, so we were not going to leave, understand." I removed my hands from my face and was looking up at him, I nodded my head. He spoke softly,"Good, now let's get back in the ship before the marines get here. I would also like to know what happened to you." My stomach growled and I'm pretty sure my turned a bright red. "But first let's get you cleaned up and something to eat. Come on guys, let's go." Law turned around and headed to the ship.

"Yes Captain!" The other three said and headed after him. I stood there for a second before I headed after them.

"So that's what happened." I explained as we ate. I was all washed up and in some fresh clothes. I had just finished eating and felt the need for a very long nap.

"How did we not notice the hole there? Damn it…"

"Forget about the hole, she escaped from the marines! Even if the weather was bad they still would have some sort of guard." Shachi said.

"Why did you say we kidnapped you?" asked Penguin.

"It was the first thing that came to my mind!"

"I can't believe they believed that!" Penguin exclaimed, "Kathren, you are a genus!"

"I don't understand how you survived in that storm, no one should have survived that," said Law with a frown.

"Ya, how's that even possible?"Asked the other three.

"I don't know! It just happened, I had no control on what was going on!" They all looked at me with disbelief.

"I can't believe it. Kathren, do you have a power of some sort?" Law asked.

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Hmmm…..I think you do, you just haven't discovered it quite yet." Law examined me.

I sighed,"Look I really don't know."

"It is hard to determine with just this event. Have you ever in your life been through something really stressful and ended up experiencing something really…bizarre?"

I hesitated,"U-um, well.."

"Kathren, is there something you haven't told us?"

I glanced around at everyone and my eyes rested on Law's. "I…..yes… but I don't want to talk about him."

"HIm?" Law asked.

Realizing I said to much I stood in a panic. "I'm really tired right now, I think I will go to bed." I turned around and started walking out the room.

"We will continue talking, whether you like it or not." It was the last thing I heard Law say as I exited the room.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke to up to screams. There was a bright red color in front of the window. I could see ashes blowing in the wind. The heat was pouring into my house. Confused I climbed out of bed, holding a teddy bear close to me. I walked out of my room and into the hallway. The house smelled of smoke and blood. I continued walking toward the screaming, down the the grand staircase.

The smell of smoke intensified. I was gasping for air, but I still continued on walking towards the sound. I approached the door of the parlor. It was opened just a crack, it was enough for me to peer in.

"NO! STOP!" I heard my mother scream. "STOP THIS!" I saw her backing up against the wall. There was a man holding a knife in his hand. "PLEASE STOP!" She had no where to run, she was cornered. I watched as the man brought the knife down. He stabbed her repeatedly in the chest. He tore at her neck and arms. I watched as blood splattered on everything. "Ugh." Blood poured out of my mother's mouth.

My eyes were open in terror as I saw her body slump to the ground. I gasped and immediately put my hands to my mouth, but it was too late, he heard me. The man with the knife spun around and looked directly at me.

I woke up by falling off the bed. "Uhhhhh." I struggled with the blankets that fell with me. I sat up and fumbled around for the lamp. "Grr…" I hit my hand against the edge of the night stand. I turned on the light and slowly stood up. "Good grief." I was still crying from the nightmare.

"Are you alright?" I heard a voice say behind me. I froze, terrified for my life. "Kathren, it's okay it's just me." I recognized Law's voice, I turned around. He had a look of concern on his face. "I could hear you whimpering all the way from my room, it was annoying, so I decided to come and see what was going on."

He came to check on me? "Um, thank you, but I'm fine."

"You are a bad liar. Kathren, you are crying."

I wiped the tears from my face,"I'm fine…. wait when did you get in here?"

"I came in only a couple minutes ago."

"In the dark?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you turn on the light, or, I don't know, wake me up!" I exclaimed angrily.

"I wanted to see what would happen."

"What would happen? You indecent prick!" There was a long silence after I said that.

"You should not call me that. I am your captain." Law said coldly.

"My captain…." I glared at him,"Then 'Captain', what do you want?" I said sarcastically.

"It's time for you to tell me about "Him," so have a sit, I have all day." Law sat down on the bed.

"Very well," I slowly sat down next to him. "Where would you like me to start?"

"At the beginning."

"Hmm...Okay, It all started like this…I was born in a big city on an island called Grand Star. The cities name was Starlight. I was born a noble, higher ranking than most.

My mothers name was Maria. She was very beautiful and thoughtful. My father was a higher ranking commander in the Navy. He traveled often so he wasn't home a lot. During those five years of my life my mother raised me the best she could. Even though we were rich she tried not to spoil me and she tried to show me how to be kind.

But she was hypocrite. At the time I was to young to understand what was happening, but now I know. My mother was having an affair with another Navy officer. So while my dad was gone she got pregnant. Knowing that her husband would hear of the news she hired an assassin to kill him.

My father was not stupid and found out about the affair and the assassin. He quickly traveled home to confront his wife. When he arrived home a big fight between them happened. It wasn't anything physical, just a lot of yelling.

I locked myself in my room and tried to muffle the noise by hiding underneath the covers of my bed. I fell asleep and awake to smoke. The man that killed my mother was my father. He is the man I have nightmares of. After he killed my mother and saw me watching he walked over to the door. I was already running out the front door, but he chased me. He was covered in blood and was still holding the knife.

I ran into the man that my mother had an affair with. He pushed me behind him and pulled out his gun. He had to fire at my dad five times to kill him. After that he took me away to the Marine headquarters. There they cleaned me up and sent me away. They sent me to a small village on the island called Starville. That's where I grew up for the rest of my life. The foster parents I had died when I was 16. That house I lived in was theirs. I planned on living in that village for the rest of my life, until you came around." We sat in silence after I told my story.

"Katherine, I am sorry for what happened in your past, but you should move on."

"I know."

"Then do it," he stood up,"Put your past to the side. If you do that it could change your heart. You could become a different person, and you don't have to live in fear." He started walking toward the door,"Don't be afraid anymore, he can't hurt you, he's dead." And he said that he left, closing the door behind him.

"I know he's dead, but I can't let go." I said after he left,"I have been trying for so long to let go, but something is stopping me. And that something is that man that had the affair with my mother. If he would have never done that, then my father wouldn't have killed my mother, and they would both still be alive. He was the one that ruined my life." I stood up with tears in my eyes and faced the closed door."I will not rest until that man is dead. For my mother and for my father, I will have revenge for their deaths. Even if it's the last thing I do."


	8. Chapter 8

A few days later we were on the surface getting some fresh air. Everyone was doing their own thing and having some fun. I was reading a book about an evil king and a heroic prince. I haven't talked to Law since that night. It seems as if our relationship has gotten worse.

As I was reading my book I didn't realize that Law had sat down next to me.

"Oh, hi, I didn't see you." I put my book down,"What's up?" I was trying to be cheerful.

"I wanted to ask you some things." He locked his eyes with mine.

"Only if you answer mine," I responded coldly.

He gave a small smirk,"Very well."

I took a breath,"Okay this has been bugging me since I first meet you. Why were you wondering around in that storm?"

"I told you, nothing in particular."

"Liar."

He sighed,"If I tell you what I was doing will you answer my question?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I was looking for a rare flower."

"What for?"

"A type of medicine I wanted to make."

"Did you find it?"

"Yes, my turn. Are you afraid of me?"

I looked at him in surprise,"Huh?"

"There are times when I catch you looking at me with kindness and curiosity. Other times I see fear."

"I'm not afraid of you, maybe angry."

"Angry?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I am angry at you for making me tell you my past. I did not wish to tell anyone."

"But doesn't it make you feel better now that you got it off your chest?"

"Well.." _In truth it did make me feel a little better._ "I guess so but at the same time it made me angry."

"I see…"

"My turn." I took a second to form the question correctly,"Why me?"

"What?" He gave me a confused looked.

"Why did you let me join your crew? Why not somebody else?"

He smiled,"Because there is something about you that I like. When I first meet you I could tell you were different from other people. I liked that, so when I had the opportunity to make you join, I took it."

"What if I said no?"

"Then I would have been very disappointed."

I gave out a laugh,"Ya, but I think I would have regretted my decision. I am happy that things turned out as it had. Even if some of the things that occurred are crazy."

"Yes, well I have one more question for you."

"Oh?"

"Do you remember that first day you came for breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Penguin said he thought he heard you scream. You had a nightmare didn't you?"

"Yes."

"But it wasn't the one you normally had?"

"My nightmares seem to switch out. Sometimes I dream about my parents, other times I dream about a man."

"A man?"

"Yes, he kidnaps me and tortures me. I have had that dream ever since I was a child."

"I see, you know you don't have to hide these things."

"Huh?"

"When people hide their feelings their darkest part of them comes out. I don't want that to happen to you. So please talk to me, or anyone in the crew, when you are afraid."

I smiled,"Thank you, talking to you has made me feel much better. Even though I was mad at you not to long ago."

We sat in silence for while, letting the sun touch our faces.

"I could sit here forever," I said with a sigh.

"Yes, but sadly we don't have forever."

"I know."

"Kathren…" He hesitated.

"Yes?"

"I want to train you."

"Train me?"

"I think you are strong and that you have a form of Haki. You just haven't discovered what quite yet. so I would like to help you with that."

I was surprised, I didn't know what to think.

"It's a once in a life time offer, so take it or leave it."

"Um, yes! I would love you to train me. I want to get stronger. I don't want to be a burden to you guys and I want to be able to fight for myself."

"Good, we will start once we reach land." Law got up, "I'm going back in."

I watched him leave,"It's strange, he is such a jerk, but he has a soft side to him, but only if you catch him at the right moments." I had a strange sensation in my chest and my heart was beating fast. I smiled,"I think I am truly happy here."

*Two days later*

We reached a deserted island. It was barren and hot. We have been here since yesterday and Law has given me almost no breaks. He was serious when he said he wanted to train me. The moment we touched the ground he started.

"I said don't look down."

"But I will trip!"

"Just trust your instincts."

We were using wooden swords. (He found them in storage.)

"Well my instincts suck!"

"It takes time, but I believe that you can do it."

"I doubt that."

"Well stop doubting yourself, that's what makes you fail."

I sighed,"Can't we take a break?"

"No, not until I think you got the basics down."

It was a lot more complicated than it looked. Swords were difficult, you had to have the right stance and the proper hold. It took a lot of energy to block and I'm not even going to get into attacking.

"I can't stand anymore," I collapsed on the ground.

"Get up!"

"I need a break, Law! We have been doing this for hours. I have no energy left."

"That's the pain of training, now do you want to get stronger or not?"

"I do, but what's the point if I can't continue?"

"In a battle you don't give up, even if everything seems impossible. If you lose sight of your goal you won't get anywhere." Law come over to me and kneeled down in front of me,"You have to stand up and fight. You can't just sit down and surrender."

"I know! I get in a real battle I couldn't act like this. I will get stronger, but I have no strength left in my body. I need to rest."

"Ugh, you're hopeless." He sat down next to me,"Fine, we can take an hour break, but then it's back to training, understand?"

"Yes."

I laid down on the hard ground and looked up at the clear blue sky.

_I have a goal in my mind. I will reach it, I will not give up. I will become stronger, I will no longer be a burden. I will get my revenge and I will not lose hope. I will never be pushed around again. I will become his worst nightmare, even if I get killed in the process. __**The man that killed my parents will die.**_


End file.
